<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>you’re what i want by bloomingbbs</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29119260">you’re what i want</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloomingbbs/pseuds/bloomingbbs'>bloomingbbs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Fluff, M/M, POV Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Pining, Soft Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), he is so in love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:01:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,546</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29119260</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloomingbbs/pseuds/bloomingbbs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dream fell in love with his best friend and, in turn, everything fell into place</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexis | Quackity &amp; GeorgeNotFound &amp; Karl Jacobs, Clay | Dream &amp; GeorgeNotFound &amp; Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream &amp; GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream &amp; Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>267</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>love love and more love</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sleepless nights brought clarity. Blurred lines were brought into focus, the white noise dimmed to a gentle murmur and it was quiet. </p>
<p>Feelings that glared and overwhelmed in the harsh light of day softened into a slight hum. He could feel it beneath his skin, could feel it just like he could feel his heartbeat in his fingers as he grabbed at the fabric of his shirt.</p>
<p>His eyelids drooped but any tiredness he might have felt was pushed away as he traced shapes into his sheets and thought.</p>
<p>It was quiet.</p>
<p>That calm had always been comforting. High energy moments with his friends made his face ache from all the smiling. They were dizzying and bright and warm. But calm moments were contentment and existing despite everything. </p>
<p>The curtains were drawn back in a way that let him view the expanse of sky with no trouble. Everything seemed to shine that night. Every once in a while a car would pass his house but other than that, everything was still. </p>
<p>His eyes wandered to the walls of his room. Specifically to the pictures attached to the wall.</p>
<p>He couldn’t see them due to the lack of light but suddenly he wanted to. Turning on the light was out of the question though. The idea of pushing the darkness of night away made his stomach turn uncomfortably. So, he turned to face the wall directly but made no move towards any light switches.</p>
<p>The location of the pictures was engraved in his mind along with the contents of the photos. He could almost see his favorite of all of them. A picture of him, Sapnap and George that Tommy had taken without their knowledge.</p>
<p>It was easy to recall. The three of them had been captured sitting side by side on this large rock they had found near their high school. It was painted purple, one of their school colors, and really needed to be repainted. The paint was chipped and cracked enough that he could pull chunks of color off the rock without any effort at all. </p>
<p>Dream was sitting in the middle with Sapnap on his right and George on his left. They were in the middle of laughing at some dumb joke George had made when Tommy appeared with a camera ready and took a photo.</p>
<p>Their faces forever caught with wide smiles. George was leaning so far sideways and just narrowly avoided falling off by gripping at the rock hard enough to scratch his palms and turn them an aggressive red. Not that he could even see red, but still.</p>
<p>Sapnap had been leaning against Dream at the time the photo was taken. He pressed his shoulder to Dreams as he giggled and brought a hand up to cover his mouth, though the picture was taken before he could accomplish that goal so his smile was visible. </p>
<p>Dream himself had been caught staring at Sapnap as the three of them laughed until their faces were pink and they glowed in the light of the setting sun. He could remember his gaze being so, so fond in that moment. He couldn’t help it. The shorter had been giggly that day, always wearing a smile and absolutely buzzing with excitement. When Sapnap leaned against Dream while laughing, the warmth of the others body seeped into his heart and made him melt and drip with affection.</p>
<p>Dream hadn’t expected anyone to see the look he gave his best friend, let alone catch it on camera and use the photo for a school project. </p>
<p>When Tommy had given them the photo as a thank you for being his models - even if they hadn’t known beforehand - the look he wore in the picture made his face burn. Despite that, he had stuck it onto his wall next to the cluster of other ones that adorned it.</p>
<p>His bed made a faint noise as he pressed his palms into the mattress and pushed himself into a sitting position. The blanket fell off his chest and pooled around his hips. His feet were sticking out of the other end and his pant legs had rolled up at some point in all the tossing and turning to expose slivers of his ankles.</p>
<p>His thoughts at night tended to revolve around one certain individual. Not in a weird way (most of the time). </p>
<p>Dream supposed that having a crush did that to a person.</p>
<p>He personally hated the word crush. The word tumbled out of a mouth messily. It felt clumsy, immature and almost mocking. But there was no way he was going to refer to what he felt as love. </p>
<p>What he felt for Sapnap was, at its core, love. He knew that. The feeling curled around his organs and took up any space left in his body. It was fused with every memory, every copied mannerism, everything he got from the other. He had loved Sapnap for a long time, he just hadn’t had a crush on the other until a few months ago. Or maybe he’d liked him for years. He couldn’t be too sure. Even then, as sat in his room with focus on a topic he shied away from in the day, he refused to refer to it as love. </p>
<p>Maybe a few more years of hopeless pining would force him to acknowledge the feeling as something more, but that wasn’t for a while. For now, he was content with an inadequate word such as crush being applied to the situation.</p>
<p>Before he knew it, the moon dipped from view and the sun rose in its wake. The sky was flooded with warm colors and everything became lighter. His room slowly became visible. He could make out the pictures on the wall, the papers scattered on his desk, the hairbrush his sister had left in his room the day before. He could spot the pack of glow in the dark stars his mother had bought him in response to his rapidly growing interest in astronomy sitting on top of a folder on his desk.</p>
<p>The phone on his pillow began to vibrate as his alarm made itself known. A groan slipped through his parted lips before he could process what was happening and he threaded a hand through his hair. His fingers caught on tangled bits of hair that he didn’t have the will power to try and brush out.</p>
<p>Dream slid his legs off the bed with a small bit of effort and stood. The ground beneath his feet was cold, which served as a small wake up call to his sleep deprived brain that felt like it would give up any second. </p>
<p>Feeling just the slightest bit more aware, Dream dragged himself to the bathroom down the hallway. He could hear some movement in the kitchen that he attributed to one of his parents getting ready for their day. His youngest sister was already at school and even if she hadn’t been, she wouldn’t be awake before noon if she could help it. </p>
<p>As Dream stood in front of the mirror with a foamy mouth and toothbrush sticking out, he couldn’t help but wish he had slept for at least an hour. </p>
<p>Sleep clouded his eyes and weighed down on his limbs until he sagged under the weight.</p>
<p>He made his way back to his room and grabbed the first shirt he could find. Safe to say, it was definitely not one of his regular shirts. It was bright and patterned with something that looked like flowers, but it might have been squiggly lines. He couldn’t quite tell in his current state, but he remembered getting the shirt. Karl had thrown the shirt at him in a store a month or two prior and refused to drive them back to his house unless he bought it.</p>
<p>The shirt was loose fitting. If he tried, Dream could probably fit both arms into one sleeve, but that was an idea for another time with more people present. He put on dark pants, grabbed his bag from its place on the floor and dragged himself to the kitchen after making sure he was presentable. </p>
<p>A text from Karl revealed he couldn’t even eat breakfast because it was apparently time to go to school. Dream somehow had stayed up the entire night but still couldn’t get ready on time. He grumbled under his breath as he grabbed a banana off the counter and trudged his way to Karl’s car after offering a small wave to his mother as he passed. </p>
<p>As per usual, the boys were all there and waiting. Quackity took his hard earned spot in the front with Karl in the driver's seat. Sapnap and George were in the back with the final seat in the back belonging to him. </p>
<p>He opened the car door slowly, his fingers barely cooperated enough to curl around the handle, and plopped himself onto the seat after pushing his bag to the floor beside his feet.</p>
<p>“Dude you look like you’re about to drop dead.” Dream could hear the smile in Sapnaps voice as he spoke. The words were enough to jolt him out of the daze he had been in since he left the comfort of his bed.</p>
<p>“I feel like I’m about to drop dead. No sleep before school is a terrible idea. Always has been, always will be.”</p>
<p>George laughed from his left, shoulder bumping into Dreams as the laughter shook his chest. “You’d think you’d be used to it by now.”</p>
<p>“I should be,” Dream nudged his bag with his foot and resisted the urge to lay across George and Sapnap, who sat at George’s left. “Not my fault my body is so weak willed.”</p>
<p>“Wait you’re actually wearing the shirt I got you!” Karl interjected with an over the top gasp.</p>
<p>Quackity laughed loudly. “I thought it would never see anything outside of his room. Apparently the journey to his closet wasn’t a one way trip.”</p>
<p>“One, why wouldn’t I wear it? It’s a perfectly acceptable shirt. Two, it never even made it to a closet. It was literally just lying around my room.”</p>
<p>Sapnap glanced over to him. “How messy is your room?”</p>
<p>A pause. “No comment.”</p>
<p>“Wait a second,” Karl tapped his fingers against the wheel as he came to a stop, “didn’t you two hang out together like, yesterday? Shouldn't you know?”</p>
<p>“We hung out in Sapnaps room, not mine.”</p>
<p>George lifted an eyebrow. “Did you use protection?”</p>
<p>Everyone paused. Even Quackity stopped his humming to let out a bewildered, “Huh?”</p>
<p>Dream could feel his face burn slightly at the comment. George was well aware of his feelings towards their best friend, so the comment was very much for his ears and understanding. “What!”</p>
<p>His laugh felt the slightest bit strained as it ripped itself from his lungs but if anyone noticed, they kept their mouth shut about it.</p>
<p>“Oh come on it was funny!” George huffed and scrolled through posts on his phone while everyone giggled. Dream was just glad to be rid of the slightly charged air that had settled after the comment that sounded a bit too genuine to fully be a joke.</p>
<p>—————————</p>
<p>The more he thought about it, the more Dream realized Sapnap had rubbed off on every aspect of his life.</p>
<p>A single glance around his house could reveal the fallout of knowing someone as attention capturing as Sapnap. Every room had a bit of him. There were pictures of the two of them in the living room. Various items ranging from clothes to notebooks he had collected from the other scattered along the surfaces in his room, a painting the two had made after staying up for thirty seven hours straight and downing two monsters. Not even the kitchen was safe from the younger. One of the cabinets had a long scratch down the center from years ago when Sapnap had done something particularly dumb and dangerous, practically the boys brand as a child, and the fridge was always stocked with his favorite drink.</p>
<p>Dream couldn’t escape his feelings when they were written on the walls and so intertwined with his being that it was hard to distinguish where the feelings began and he ended. Maybe there wasn’t a clear line. </p>
<p>All he had ever known was a deep rooted love for the other. Dream doubted he could recognize a version of himself that hadn’t loved Sapnap. An invisible ribbon had tied the two together and all he could do was blink as it clung onto his skin in a grip that was more comforting than anything else. </p>
<p>One blink and suddenly his world had morphed into a place that held bits of his best friend everywhere. </p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, school wasn’t an exception. To be fair, Sapnap was sitting at the desk to his left but still. With or without Sapnaps physical presence, the other boy haunted Dream, followed him as if he were a shadow. </p>
<p>Maybe he should've been paying attention to whatever topic his teacher was droning on about in a voice that could put Dream to sleep if he wasn’t careful.</p>
<p>His sleep deprived brain made the tight grip he had on his control falter enough for his actions to be affected. He used that to excuse the fact that his eyes had been locked onto Sapnaps side profile for the better part of the past twenty minutes. </p>
<p>There was a window to Sapnaps left that allowed excess amounts of light to fall onto his face. It was bright, sure, but not blindingly so. Call him cheesy, but he had always thought Sapnap shone brighter and he doubted his opinion would change anytime soon.</p>
<p>Dream resisted the urge to scrunch his nose at his own thoughts and continued his honorable mission to stare at Sapnap long enough to develop telepathy and send the other thoughts he doubted he could say out loud.</p>
<p>Sapnap lazily looked at Dream, who felt exposed in front of the other, who felt like his emotions swam on the surface of his eyes and tugged at his lips. He didn’t look away. Half of him wanted to look away and hide until Sapnap forgot about the staring while the other half wanted to take his face between his hand and-</p>
<p>The bell rang before that thought could finish. </p>
<p>“Before we go to your house I need to grab something I left in another class,” Sapnap said as he shoved the items on his desk into his backpack without much care at all. </p>
<p>Dream followed the others' lead and took to shoving his belongings into his bag. His notes were composed of random drawings and half assed cartoons rather than anything meaningful, but it was the effort that counts.</p>
<p>The walk to the classroom wasn’t a long one. The room was only two hallways away from their last period class. They walked at a faster pace than normal, an intense desire to get to Dreams house thrumming in their veins.</p>
<p>They bounced words off each other as well as they always had. They kept it lighthearted, didn’t hesitate to tease and prod at each other. They kept their banter up until they reached their destination.</p>
<p>The classroom door was open. A look inside revealed a disgruntled english teacher with papers scattered all over her desk and a red pen gripped in her right hand. She glanced over as they stepped into the threshold, an eyebrow raised and a slight shift in her posture. </p>
<p>Sapnap mumbled something about a folder before scurrying to the back of the classroom. An awkward silence settled over the classroom, only broken by the occasional thuds of Sapnaps hands hitting the edge of a desk as he searched for his folder. </p>
<p>Dream looked to the mess of papers in front of the teacher and scanned the surface. He held back a wince at the sight of multiple corrections and a 34 out of 100 on the top in a harsh, bright red. The name on the paper was too far for him to read but he felt a pang of sympathy for the person who had a bad grade in store for them.</p>
<p>A small, “aha!” sounded from the back of the room. Sapnap stood with a dark green folder in one hand before he quickly stuffed it into his waiting backpack and shuffled over to Dream. </p>
<p>“Have a good day, miss,” Sapnap said quietly.</p>
<p>She returned the sentiment before hunching over the papers once more.</p>
<p>Dream ushered Sapnap out of the room and soon enough they were pushing open the exit door. </p>
<p>Sapnap let out a laugh as they took off in the direction of Dreams house. Their feet tapped against the sidewalk though it wasn’t audible most of the time. Instead, they spoke while cars rushed past and other students shouted in the distance.</p>
<p>Dream technically lived close enough to walk to school but Karl had offered to drive him, and the rest of their best friends for that matter, since he was the only one out of their group that had a comfortable car.</p>
<p>As the duo walked along the streets he had memorized long ago, his thoughts drifted. </p>
<p>While Dream loved spending time with all of his friends and cherished each of them equally, he couldn’t help the rush of excitement that burst in his chest at the thought of it being just him and Sapnap for the night. </p>
<p>There was also a tint of worry that hid amongst the excitement. Him, in all his sleep deprived glory, alone in his bedroom with the boy he’s liked for a very long time.</p>
<p>That could potentially be a recipe for disaster.</p>
<p>“And we’re here! Thank god, I’m about to drop dead. Today was so exhausting.”</p>
<p>Dream scoffed lightly. “You think you’re tired? Try running on no sleep.”</p>
<p>“Not my fault you decided to stay up all night. That’s all on your own terrible decision making.”</p>
<p>Dream let out a nervous laugh. Did it count as Sapnaps fault if he was the one Dream spent the entire night thinking about? If he was the one Dream couldn’t get out of his head to the point that he lost sleep? Not like he could ask him without multiple questions thrown at him that he wasn’t ready to answer.</p>
<p>So he laughed and pushed open the door to his house.</p>
<p>The familiar light colored walls greeted them as they entered the house. His dad glanced over from where he stood in the kitchen doorway. “Sapnap!”</p>
<p>“What, no greeting for me, your own son?” </p>
<p>Sapnap giggled. “Hello!”</p>
<p>“It’s been a while since you’ve come over! How’ve you been?” Dream's dad walked closer to the duo.</p>
<p>“I’ve been good!” Sapnap smiled at Dream's dad.</p>
<p>His mother suddenly stopped in the doorway behind his father. “Oh! Dream you’re home, good. Your father and I have to go pick up your sister from Tommy's house and then go grocery shopping. I take it that since Sapnap is here you don’t want to come?”</p>
<p>“No, I'll stay here. How long are you guys gonna take?”</p>
<p>She tapped her finger against her chin once, twice before responding. “We should be out for about 2 hours max but probably closer to one.”</p>
<p>She shifted the car keys in her hand and looked to her husband. “We’ll get going, bye boys.”</p>
<p>Dream’s dad nodded. “Be back soon.” </p>
<p>And with that they shuffled out of the door and the two boys were left alone.</p>
<p>“That means the living room is an option now,” Dream said while he kicked off his shoes.</p>
<p>“I still want to go to your room though, my back hurts.”</p>
<p>“Okay wimp,” Dream smirked at Sapnaps back as he forcibly removed his shoes. “Do you want food or anything?”</p>
<p>“Hmm. I’m hungry but having to chew sounds tiring so let’s just go to your room.” </p>
<p>As soon as Dream pushed open the door to his room, Sapnap collapsed onto the bed and let out a content sigh.</p>
<p>He brought his legs to his chest and let himself sink into the bed in the fetal position. Sapnaps hair splayed onto the pillow, the dark strands vividly contrasting with the white of the sheets. The other's eyes fell closed and his face visibly relaxed. His shoulders drifted away from their position that was much too close to his jaw and his face went slack. </p>
<p>Dream stood in the doorway. His lips were slightly parted as he traced the curves of Sapnaps face. He eyed the rise and fall of his chest, followed the slight movement as the other shifted to get comfortable, watched his fingers flex and fidget with the hem of his shirt. His eyes drifted back to the others' rosy lips, then his eyebrows, his hair, his nose, his puffed cheeks, his small smirk, his open eyes. </p>
<p>Green eyes met green eyes and Dreams face flushed a few shades off the pink of Sapnap lips. </p>
<p>“Like what you see?”</p>
<p>Dream scoffed faintly. “You wish. If you fall asleep try not to drool on my pillow.”</p>
<p>“I do not drool!” Sapnaps voice was pitched higher than normal, sort of reminiscent of his voice when they were younger and puberty had yet to strike. “And even if I did you should be honored to have it on your pillow.”</p>
<p>“Honored to have spit on my pillow?”</p>
<p>“You’d probably like it too, freak.”</p>
<p>Their eyes narrowed at each other. Their lips pursed. And then their laughs were a harmony composed by the greats.</p>
<p>“What!? Spit?” Dream choked out. </p>
<p>Sapnap hummed. “Spit.”</p>
<p>“You’re disgusting, dude. Who likes spit soaking their pillow?” A pause. “Then again some people are into weird things.”</p>
<p>“You would know.”</p>
<p>“Don’t you dare say what you’re thinking.”</p>
<p>He smirked. “And what am I thinking?”</p>
<p>Dream threw himself onto his bed. His face squished against the pillow and his hand hit the others knee before falling to the bed. “Fuck off,” Dream mumbled as loudly as he could with his mouth covered by a fluffed pillow. </p>
<p>The other laughed and he thought that maybe being made fun of had its perks.<br/>
—————————————————————<br/>
“Do you believe in ghosts or demons, any of that shit?”</p>
<p>Dream definitely wasn’t expecting that question to break the calming silence that settled over the two as they lounged on the bed. They sat side by side with one of his knees touching one of Sapnaps.</p>
<p>He didn’t have a set opinion on the topic really. It would be interesting if ghosts existed but not shocking if they didn’t. That was a lame answer, albeit the real one. So he thought about it for a second.</p>
<p>He tried to think about it at least. </p>
<p>Dream couldn’t really focus when eyes burned into the side of his face as he stared forward, or when the other leaned closer in anticipation. Not close enough to feel breath on his neck, but close enough so the chill in the air vanished and it was warm.</p>
<p>Ghosts.</p>
<p>His gut response was to just say no, spit out the first thing that popped into his mind in hopes of getting Sapnap to focus on something that wasn’t him before he melted onto the bed like a popsicle in summertime. </p>
<p>But the more Dream thought about it, the more he thought he might believe, in a way. </p>
<p>Ghosts could be the phantom touches. The vivid memory of an arm brushing against his as they walked similarly to how they had today. Chills that spread across his skin from the memory of a head placed on his shoulder, from breath that hit his neck and sent goosebumps up his arms.</p>
<p>That’s all ghosts really were. Memories of the past that lingered after their time. Maybe demons could be associated with temptation and desire. The same feelings that made his body ache and his heart burn.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I think I do.”</p>
<p>And he did, in a way.</p>
<p>“Have I ever told you of the time I think a ghost was messing with me?”</p>
<p>Dream smiled. “I don’t think so. Tell me.”</p>
<p>The other boy gave a grin that was burned into his mind and would haunt his thoughts long after this moment in time. Ghosts were real, he was sure of it. Just not in the way one would first think.</p>
<p>And as Sapnap spoke, Dream sat watching him. His eyes never strayed from the others form. He listened with his attention on Sapnap and Sapnap only, a common occurrence between the two.</p>
<p>If Dream felt inclined to look in a mirror, he knew what he would see staring back. He didn’t even need to look in the mirror. All he had to do was turn to the pictures on the wall and look at himself in that photo Tommy took. He was the same lovesick boy, too fond of his best friend and not very good at hiding it. Not that he ever really tried, of course, but the point still stood.</p>
<p>Sapnap moved his hands as he spoke. He gestured vaguely as he tried to express through hand movement alone and Dreams fingers itched to grab onto the others hands and lace their fingers together, maybe cup a hand close to his chest or even trace shapes on the skin of his palm.</p>
<p>He didn’t plan on following the impulse. </p>
<p>Really, he didn’t. </p>
<p>But as Sapnap continued, the urge became stronger and stronger.</p>
<p>Maybe it was the insatiable curiosity that came with being human that made him reach out and grab the hand closest to him.</p>
<p>Oh god curiosity killed the cat.</p>
<p>Sapnaps words slowed to a halt as his eyes dropped to their hands in a small pile positioned in the air between them.</p>
<p>Dream resisted the urge to drop the hand, run into the bathroom and lay on the floor. </p>
<p>Instead, he slowly rubbed his thumb against the skin on the back of Sapnaps hand. His finger traced small circles, over and over, until he changed it up and let his fingers slide down to Sapnaps fingers. Dream flipped the others hand over so the palm was visible then slowly trailed his fingers up so their fingertips met. He brushed the pads of his fingers over the others, the skin there slightly calloused from playing an instrument. His head spun as he pressed his fingers to Sapnaps and felt a heartbeat, though it wasn’t clear whether it was his or not. Dream traced a line onto the skin using the edge of his nail, motion light and just barely there.</p>
<p>Something about the situation was undeniably intimate. They didn’t speak as Dream played with the others hands. No, the only sound his ears could pick up was the buzzing of some air conditioning in the house and even fainter than that was the stuttering breaths the two took. </p>
<p>Dream's heart sank as Sapnap gingerly pulled his hand away, but quickly rocketed back up when Sapnap laced their fingers together. </p>
<p>Dream had longer fingers. </p>
<p>They were longer and thinner. Not drastically so, but the fact became apparent as his wide eyes took in the scene in front of him.</p>
<p>It wasn't the first time they had held hands.</p>
<p>Dream and Sapnap were both quite open with affection. It was a truth they basked in since they were younger. They wouldn’t hesitate to give hugs, or press against each other while watching a movie on the couch, or lock arms in order to drag each other around. It was easy. It was reassuring. It was comforting.</p>
<p>This contact was all of that and more. </p>
<p>It was exhilarating. It was teetering on the edge of too much. It was something he could do all day and never get bored of.</p>
<p>Dream looked up and stared until Sapnap glanced up as well. He had never wanted to tell Sapnap about the depth of his feelings more than he did in that moment. Something about the moment made him feel like it would work out. </p>
<p>Maybe it was Sapnaps hand in his. The younger had always been one of the biggest sources of comfort, someone of constant reassurance. </p>
<p>Sapnap loved Dream. It was a truth they had lived with since they were younger. Dream knew that even if he didn’t love him the same way, they would still love each other. Telling him the truth wouldn’t ruin anything.</p>
<p>But that didn’t get rid of the fear. It was irrational. Sapnap wouldn’t react poorly even if it wasn’t reciprocated. He knew this. </p>
<p>Even so, he didn’t want to risk things being awkward between them. Didn’t know if he wanted to risk spilling the truth only to get hurt, to strain things between them. </p>
<p>The loud slamming of the front door cemented the decision for Dream. He’d tell Sapnap, just not that day. </p>
<p>“Dream! Sapnap!”</p>
<p>And with the loud call from his mom, he hesitantly let go of Sapnaps hand, backed away and gestured for his best friend to follow him downstairs.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>dream has fun with his friends</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The few days that followed were filled with an almost palpable tension that clogged his nostrils and made his eyes water. It hung off of every interaction between the two like vines flowing from some ancient tree that had stood since the beginning.</p>
<p>It was never quite awkward. Awkward was difficult to achieve when they’d been friends for their entire lives, when they told each other everything. Secrets weren’t something that could exist between the two. Just one look at the other would make them fold and spill whatever they had been holding to their chest. They might be able to keep information from everyone else, but not each other.</p>
<p>No matter what it was, if Dream knew then Sapnap knew and vice versa. </p>
<p>(everything besides the fact that dream had liked him for quite a while, but he didn’t doubt that sapnap would know soon enough)</p>
<p>So, not awkward and not strained. Maybe tense.</p>
<p>Something in Dream's brain clung to the belief that he would confess soon.</p>
<p>The idea took root in his brain. It branched out, grew into every part of his thoughts until confessing was all he could think of. If Dream was being honest, it was getting so annoying that he was tempted to tell Sapnap about the extent of his feelings solely out of spite.</p>
<p>His friends weren’t any help in distracting him. Whenever Sapnap was off doing something or it was just Dream and one or two of his closest friends, they would immediately pounce. They would push and prod at him to stop being a coward and just say something. </p>
<p>Out of all his friends, Karl had been the most excited about the notion that Dream wanted to spill his secret. He was comparable to an over excited puppy that was barely potty trained and barked whenever the doorbell rang. Quackity was only slightly better.</p>
<p>Five days had passed since Dream and Sapnap had hung out at Dreams house. Consequently, it was the fifth day of Karl and Quackity insisting that he should talk to Sapnap.</p>
<p>All five of them planned on meeting at Karl’s house. His brother was gone for the weekend, something about hanging out with his friends, and Karl’s parents wanted a date night or two. So the house would be empty for a good chunk of the weekend. As Karl had put it, it would be a good time to hang out.</p>
<p>Dream sat on the floor of Karl’s bedroom, back against the frame of his bed and legs stretched across the carpet. He rubbed the edge of his palm against the ground as he used his other hand to check the time on his phone. </p>
<p>4:37 pm</p>
<p>He tapped his phone against his leg two times, then three. </p>
<p>“Guys,” he spoke up, interrupting Quackity and Karl’s intense conversation about popsicle flavors, “when did Sapnap say he was going to get here?”</p>
<p>Quackity and Karl exchanged a look from their place on the bed before leaning towards Dream. </p>
<p>“Not gonna ask about George, hmm?” Karl prompted with a raised eyebrow.</p>
<p>“Simp,” Quackity let out between glaringly fake coughs.</p>
<p>Dream rolled his eyes, giving the two boys a short huff before opening his mouth. “When did George say he was getting here?”</p>
<p>“Sapnap said he’d be here in half an hour and that was twenty minutes ago.” Quackity flicked Dream's head with his pointer finger. “Ten more minutes lover boy. And George said he’d be here at like, 5:30? 6:00?”</p>
<p>Karl nodded at Quackity. One hand scrolled through their messages while the other weaved through his hair. “He said six but his concept of time is wonky. He’s been late more times then I could possibly count.”</p>
<p>Quackity giggled. “Haha we hate George.”</p>
<p>The two of them laughed while Dream's lips quirked against his own volition. </p>
<p>A feeling of dread wormed into his system as the two fools above him stopped their laughter, folded their hands together and began to stare at the side of his head.</p>
<p>“If you say what I think you’re going to say,” Dream started, only to be interrupted by a grinning Quackity. </p>
<p>“Ah so you know what we want.”</p>
<p>“Not like you two have been bugging me about it for days or anything.”</p>
<p>Karl dragged himself onto the floor and nestled himself to Dreams left. Quackity followed suit. </p>
<p>Karl threw an arm over his shoulder and pulled him closer. “Now now Dream, we only want what’s best for you.”</p>
<p>“And what would that be?”</p>
<p>Quackity clapped from his place at Dreams right. “You telling him so we don’t have to see your painfully obvious pining anymore. And so you can get a boyfriend and be happy or whatever.” </p>
<p>“Exactly,” Karl replied. “See, we’re surprised he doesn’t already know.”</p>
<p>“Oh come on, can I really be that obvious about it?”</p>
<p>The two nodded grimly. Their faces were much too serious for a topic such as Dreams crush, but he had gotten used to their nonsense and love for dramatics long ago. </p>
<p>Karl retracted his arm but continued to lean close. He grabbed Dreams phone and turned it on. The lock screen appeared with the time, 4:39, blinking up at them.</p>
<p>“Exhibit A,” Karl pointed at the phone, “Sapnap has been your lock screen for as long as I’ve known you. It’s been years. YEARS.”</p>
<p>Dream raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t mean anything. He asked to be my lock screen and I agreed.”</p>
<p>“Dream, my friend, my buddy, my pal. I’ve asked to be your lock screen so many times and you’ve said no every flippin time.” Karl let out an airy sigh. “He’s on your home screen too.”</p>
<p>“My home screen is literally you two, Sapnap and George on my couch with patches sitting on Sapnap.”</p>
<p>“Point still stands,” Quackity interjected.</p>
<p>Karl’s phone lit up with a notification, pulling the group's attention to it. “Ah! Sapnaps outside. I’ll be right back.”</p>
<p>His knees popped as he stood and adjusted the waistband of his pants. He stretched his arms towards the ceiling before pulling open the door to his bedroom and jogging out of sight.</p>
<p>Dream ran his hands over the carpet and let out a breath he had apparently been holding for some time. </p>
<p>“Hey Dream,” Quackity nudged Dream's leg with the heel of his foot. “It’s fine if you don’t say anything to him. We don’t actually mean to pressure you or anything. We just want you to give it a shot, you know? Nothing can happen unless you try. And we think that you and Sapnap would work well together.”</p>
<p>Dream smiled at the serious tone the other took as he rambled. His friend sounded genuine as the words escaped his mouth and wormed their way into Dreams head.</p>
<p>Downstairs he could hear muffled voices engaged in conversation but they weren’t getting closer, so he felt safe enough to continue the talk. </p>
<p>“I know, Quackity. You guys obviously mean no harm. It’s just hard,” he let out a sigh, “I’ve known him for so long. I wouldn’t want something as small as this crush to ruin it.”</p>
<p>Quackity brought his legs up to his chest and leaned his arms on top of his knees. “For what it’s worth, I doubt anything could really ruin your friendship. And I don’t think the crush is anywhere near a small thing. I think you know it too.”</p>
<p>He leaned his head onto the mattress. It made his neck ache due to the poor angle but he couldn’t help it. His head suddenly felt a bit too heavy to carry. “Yeah, I know.” </p>
<p>Dream gave Quackity a tired smile. “Thanks, dude. For all the encouragement. And for listening to my numerous rants about him.”</p>
<p>“You should honestly pay me for the amount of time I’ve spent listening to you talk about him!” Quackity laughed through the last part of his sentence, which prompted Dream into laughing as well.</p>
<p>He rubbed from his collarbone to the side of his neck and then the side of his jaw. “You should appreciate every word I say.”</p>
<p>“Whatever you say buddy, whatever you say.”</p>
<p>A familiar voice laughed as it approached Karl’s room. </p>
<p>Dream smiled. “Great timing.”</p>
<p>“Wouldn't want him to hear your simping ass.”</p>
<p>“Says the one who had a crush on a cartoon car.”</p>
<p>“She was real to me! And she would love me and we would get married if she was real!”</p>
<p>Sapnap appeared in the doorway with Karl behind him. “Are we talking about Sally again?”</p>
<p>“Ah my old love,” Karl sang as he threw himself onto his bed.</p>
<p>Quackity whipped his head sideways to face the figure messing with blankets, then picked himself up and stood near Karl. “She loved me more.”</p>
<p>As their two friends argued about the love of a fictional car, Sapnap sat down next to Dream. He watched as the dark haired boy extended his legs to their full length and shuffled over until they were pressed side to side.</p>
<p>He knocked his foot against Sapnaps, prompting the other to laugh as Dream shifted his legs to a position where they were resting on top of Sapnaps.</p>
<p>“How long did you have to suffer through Quackity talking about Sally before I got here?”</p>
<p>“Not very long luckily. He didn’t even have enough time to start talking about the wedding he planned.”</p>
<p>The boys had fun that night. If Karl’s parents came home to the boys passed out on the floor of Karl’s room, they didn’t mention it the next morning. They didn’t have to, the consequences of sleeping on the floor with little padding showed as they stretched and complained of sore limbs and small aches.

—————————————————————</p>
<p>Around a week later, Dream was getting into his car when a facetime call from George popped up on his phone screen. He slammed his door shut and scrambled to accept it.</p>
<p>As soon as he clicked to accept the call, George's face took up his entire screen.“Where are you? The rest of us have been waiting for like ten minutes.”</p>
<p>Dream gave George a deadpan look. “Wow, ten minutes. That’s a tragedy.” </p>
<p>Dream shifted his keys between his fingers and listened to the little jangles that sounded as they crashed against each other. “Actually though, I have to pick my sister up and bring her home, so I probably won’t be there for another thirty minutes.”</p>
<p>“Why aren’t your parents getting her?”</p>
<p>“She said she wanted to get picked up at 4 so they went to get something since they thought they had some time. But she changed her mind and they’re still out, so I have to get her.”</p>
<p>George groaned. “Ugh.” He turned his head to the left, “Did you guys hear that?”</p>
<p>He heard Quackity shout back, “Yeah you old man. We aren’t deaf.”</p>
<p>George ignored him and brought his eyes back to his phone. “Okay tell me when you get here and i’ll make Sapnap open the door.”</p>
<p>His colorblind friend hung up as Sapnap spat back a muffled, “Fuck you!”</p>
<p>Dream threw his phone onto the other front seat (it almost fell off) and started the car. His car wasn’t the best, it wasn’t even close, but he was a broke high school student who couldn’t afford better. So, he made it work.</p>
<p>There were a bunch of wrappers scattered on the floor in the back. Tucked under one of the seats was an old blue gym shirt Sapnap had tossed onto the ground about a month ago and an assortment of colored popsicle sticks Karl had left on the backseat that fell over while Dream drove yesterday. He should probably clean that up soon, now that he remembered. </p>
<p>The drive to Tommy's house never took more than ten minutes. The route there had been ingrained in Dream's brain after multiple visits. Whether it had been to pick up his sister, who partnered with Tommy frequently in one of their shared classes, or to hang out with Techno, he appeared there often.</p>
<p>Familiar colored houses rolled passed as his car drove the streets leading to Tommys. He could recognize the different stores along the way, like the ice cream place George loved to go to and his favorite corner store. Trees lined the streets as he remembered, the stop signs were in the same place, and so was the bus stop with the curved roof and bench.</p>
<p>Waves of nostalgia splashed against his skin as he drove. So many memories decorated the surface of his hometown. He might have been a senior in highschool but that didn’t stop the warm feeling he got when thinking back on memories of the past. </p>
<p>Dream arrived at Tommy's house just as his sister sent a text asking what was taking him so long. He only sent a picture of the house in response. </p>
<p>The front door whipped open after a short pause. There his sister stood, a worn looking bag slung over her shoulder and a half finished bottle of water in her hand. A hasty goodbye was shouted to who he assumed to be Tommy before she closed the door and jogged over to Dreams car. </p>
<p>She pulled open the car door in one swift motion and just about collapsed into the seat. She shifted her bag off of her shoulder, allowing it to fall onto the floor on her feet as she cracked her fingers.</p>
<p>“I’m so tired, Dream.”</p>
<p>He slowly pulled out of the driveway before responding. “No hello? Where are your manners dear sister of mine?”</p>
<p>“I ate them after eating all of the popcorn in the house. Manners don’t taste very good, in case you were wondering.”</p>
<p>“So we’re out of popcorn?”</p>
<p>She nodded and took a sip of water. Her face scrunched as she swallowed. “I thought it was colder than this.”</p>
<p>Dream tapped his fingers against the wheel as he waited for the light to turn green. The mention of food made his stomach whine loudly, seemingly upset at the lack of attention it had received throughout the day. “Do you wanna stop by that corner store for snacks before I drop you off?”</p>
<p>“The usual corner store?”</p>
<p>He hummed.</p>
<p>“Hell yeah, more popcorn for me,” she let out a quiet whoop before she stuffed a hand in her bag and rummaged through it until she found her phone. The case was a one of a kind, obnoxious yellow that hurt his eyes if he looked at it for too long. She had stuck a sticker in the center, a white flower with large, rounded petals and no stem. The sticker was peeled at the edges and gradually thinning. As far as he was aware, it looked its age.</p>
<p>Dream and Drista sang along to upbeat generic pop music she forced him to play until the convenience store rolled into view.</p>
<p>The walls were some made of various ugly red bricks, some darker than others and a few marked up with various colors. The sign had a layer of dirt on it that he wished would be cleaned along with a few long scratches that had seemingly always been there.</p>
<p>As soon as he parked, Drista pushed the door open and walked into the store with hurried steps. He huffed under his breath before he gave a pout directed at the windshield and the door shut behind her. “Leaving me without even turning back to see if I was behind her. Brat.”</p>
<p>The store was cool. He could hear the whirl of an air conditioner as soon as he entered the threshold. An older man sat at the counter, sipping a drink that was in one of those cups that made loud noises whenever you moved a straw through it. Dream watched the guy move the straw around his drink - the terrible noise followed - before he shook his head and scanned the store for his sister.</p>
<p>She was in the back in front of the fridges. She wasn’t looking for something to eat. No, instead she was dragging her middle finger along the glass and smiling at the loud screech it made.</p>
<p>“Text me when you find everything you want,” he said. He attempted to nudge her with the tip of his elbow but she dodged with practiced ease. A lighthearted glare tugged at her features as she slowly walked in the opposite direction from him.</p>
<p>“I will. Don’t take too long.”</p>
<p>Dream turned his back to her and wandered through the nearest isle. His fingers danced over the edge of the shelves. The price tags were sort of weird to touch, something he noticed as he rubbed his pointer finger against one that read 3.99.</p>
<p>His aging black shoes squeaked against the floor as he stopped in front of the candy. </p>
<p>Sapnap loved the sour candy directly in front of him. If the pieces were considered colorful then the bag was even more so. It was an atrocious neon green with yellow bubble letters, a colorblind person's worst nightmare</p>
<p>With one quick motion, Dream reached out and grabbed one of the bags towards the front. He tucked it into the crook of his elbow and pulled his phone out of his pocket.</p>
<p>He opened the facetime log and clicked on the most recent caller, George. He listened to it ring once, twice before George's face showed up on screen. </p>
<p>The older boy was laying on his bed if the pillow was any indication. Dream could hear the distant voice of Quackity as he spoke in an excited tone about whatever they had been talking about before he called.</p>
<p>“You still aren’t here.”</p>
<p>Dream shifted the bag of candy. It crinkled. Loudly. “Great observation. What do you guys want from the corner store? I got the sour things Sapnap likes.”</p>
<p>George repeated the question to the others in a semi tired tone. </p>
<p>“Chocolate and a monster,” Karl shouted.</p>
<p>Quackity responded next. “Those spicy chips we got last time.”</p>
<p>“And he got the sour candy for you already, Sapnap.”</p>
<p>Sapnap let out a cheer before a thud sounded, followed by a groan and then another thud. </p>
<p>“Stop shoving each other, my mom is downstairs,” George sat up, the wall behind him moving into view. “Just get me sour candy too. Sapnap keeps telling me I should have some but refuses to share.”</p>
<p>“Okay cool. Be there soon.”</p>
<p>He hung up the call and shoved his phone back in his pocket. His hand grabbed another pack of the sour candy before he moved forward.</p>
<p>The rest of the food his friends requested didn’t take long to find and it wasn’t much time at all before he and his sister stood in front of the cashier. </p>
<p>That cashier was well known in Dreams highschool. From what he knew, he actually owned the deteriorating store. The interesting thing about him was the fact that he sold illegal things to underaged kids if they paid enough and used the right words.</p>
<p>He had never tried to get anything, nor did he want to, but he knew a few people who had. </p>
<p>Dream dumped all of the items he and his sister acquired onto the counter while he made polite conversation. He pushed money into the guy's hand before he grabbed the bag and guided his sister towards the door. </p>
<p>It was warm outside. Not unbearably hot and not the strange mild temperature he never enjoyed. It wasn’t cold or even cool like inside the store. Maybe he could convince the others to leave the comfort of George's room.</p>
<p>The two made themselves comfortable in the car. The entire thing felt a bit warm to touch wherever the sun reached. “Let’s get you home then.”</p>
<p>She tugged her seatbelt on with one hand and yanked her hair away from her back with the other. It was lighter than his, longer too. Hers fell to her lower back. It had been cut recently so the ends were in an orderly straight line. She wanted to dye it but that was a step too far for their parents to consider. </p>
<p>Drista tilted her head towards him. “Are you going out?”</p>
<p>“Just to Georges.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” her smile turned mischievous for half of a second before she plastered on an innocent facade. “Is Sapnap gonna be there?”</p>
<p>His eyes narrowed but he kept them locked on the road. “Of course he’ll be there. He always is, you know that. Why do you ask?”</p>
<p>“Oh no reason at all dear big brother. Call it morbid curiosity. Nothing wrong with asking, hmm?”</p>
<p>“Okay drop the act. How did you find out?”</p>
<p>She laughed at that. “Dude you’re obvious and you know it. It’s practically stamped on your forehead.” She looked at her nails. “Plus, your friends aren’t exactly quiet when they bother you about it. I can hear Quackity from the opposite side of the house sometimes.”</p>
<p>“Fuck off.” The urge to slam his forehead against the steering wheel grew by the second. Luckily for him, they were only a minute away from their house. And he had a weapon for this conversation. “You had a crush on him once.”</p>
<p>“I was five! It doesn’t count for anything!”</p>
<p>“Whatever you say Drista.”</p>
<p>“Don’t make me bring out the fork.”</p>
<p>He gasped. “You wouldn’t.”</p>
<p>“I would.”</p>
<p>“I should keep you away from Tommy. He’s a terrible influence.”</p>
<p>“He brings out the best in me.”</p>
<p>“Just get out of my car you menace to society.”</p>
<p>She laughed but complied. Her belongings were gathered into her hands after the door opened and she stumbled out. “Have fun Dream. Thanks for the ride.”</p>
<p>“No problem. Don’t die before mom and dad get back.”</p>
<p>“I would never.”</p>
<p>“Never die?”</p>
<p>She hummed.</p>
<p>—————————————————————</p>
<p>The door to George's house rocketed open ten seconds after he sent the text saying he had arrived. Sapnap stood there with a wide grin and messy hair. He panted very quietly, his face and neck tinted red and he looked a little ruffled. </p>
<p>Dream opened his mouth to ask about the others' state when thundering footsteps approached the entrance. </p>
<p>Sapnap let out a shriek, clasped his hand around Dreams arm and pulled. Hard. He almost slipped to the floor as he stumbled into the house. “What the?”</p>
<p>Quackity slid into view, socks allowing him to glide along the floor until he came to a stop right in front of them. In his hand was something that looked like a pen. It was entirely black with small white lettering that he couldn’t make out due to the distance. Quackity jabbed it in their direction. “You can’t run forever!”</p>
<p>That’s when Dream noticed the smeared black makeup on the others eyes. He glanced back at the small pen looking thing in Quackitys hand and then it clicked. Eyeliner.</p>
<p>“Oh don’t you dare!”</p>
<p>The shortest of the three laughed maniacally. “Come here boys! Don’t you want to look pretty?”</p>
<p>Dream and Sapnap took one look at each other, turned to the stairs and ran away screaming.</p>
<p>Quackity was actually pretty quick, able to keep up and trail them the entire trip around the house. He hit furniture, slipped on the steps and dropped the eyeliner once but persisted through it all. </p>
<p>Dream wouldn’t surrender though. The last time Quackity had put eyeliner on him was on a chilly halloween a year or two prior and it had been a mess. He refused to let it happen again. </p>
<p>Plus, a little exercise would do him well.</p>
<p>The three boys only stopped when George went to them and threatened to kick all three out if they didn’t stop.</p>
<p>They giggled as they shook hands and declared a truce. </p>
<p>A great start to the day, he’d say.<br/>
—————————————————————</p>
<p>It was dark when he opened his eyes. </p>
<p>For a moment, he could see nothing. Then, his senses trickled back in like drops of water falling from a faucet not fully shut off. </p>
<p>The quiet breathing of his friends was the first thing he noticed. In, out. Inhale, exhale. The sound washed over and greeted him before he could see them. </p>
<p>His vision slowly adjusted to the low levels of light provided by the distant stars hung in the sky and the faint glow outlining the bottom of a bedroom door near the living room.</p>
<p>Dream rubbed at his eyes. The small amount of pressure caused color to spark behind his eyelids before he hazily opened his eyes. </p>
<p>In the dark, he could make out the faint shape of the coffee table, then the tv and then what he knew to be an orderly bookshelf. </p>
<p>The armrest of the couch wasn’t comfortable. Not even the pillow George gave him could help ease the discomfort that settled in while he slept. His shoulders throbbed and so did his knees, which he had bent so George could fit on the other end of the couch without feet in his face. </p>
<p>Dream sat up. He let his legs hit the floor and stretched them until he felt the ache disperse slightly and his muscles untensed. He arched his back until his spine let out what would be a concerning crack if not for the fact he was used to it.</p>
<p>His phone buzzed with a notification from its place on the coffee table. The brightness of his phone made his eyes involuntarily shut. With quick motions he grabbed his phone and turned the brightness down all the way. Even then, it hurt to look at after his eyes had adjusted so well to the dim lighting of the living room.</p>
<p>The notification wasn’t anything important, just something from twitter that he could look at when the sight of his phone didn’t burn his eyes.</p>
<p>His gaze tumbled to the time.</p>
<p>Almost four in the morning. </p>
<p>Dream bit back a groan. Falling back asleep after waking up in the middle of the night had never been easy for him, so he was in for a stifling few hours. </p>
<p>His friends would probably wake up around ten, eight being the bare minimum. </p>
<p>There wasn’t much to do at three in the morning, let alone anything he could do that wouldn't rouse the boys scattered on various pieces of furniture surrounding him. He knew from experience that loud noises could easily wake up the boys. (to be fair, tommy and tubbo were the ones who wanted to test what would wake them up. he took no blame for that situation)</p>
<p>Green eyes scanned the still forms of his best friends. The couch adjacent to the one he resided on held Quackity and Karl, each situated on opposite ends. The blanket they used had fallen onto the floor at some point during the night so the two were exposed. He doubted it would really bother them seeing as the night was a warm one.</p>
<p>George laid directly across from him. One arm hung off the side of the couch and the other wasn’t quite visible, so Dream assumed it was tucked under either the blanket or pillow. </p>
<p>Sapnap slept soundly on the recliner. It was positioned right next to a large window whose dark curtains were drawn back. Light fell onto Sapnaps form as well as a decent amount of space in front of the window. </p>
<p>A feeling of deja vu gripped his heart as Sapnap shifted in the recliner. </p>
<p>Sleepovers between the two were common.</p>
<p>Countless summer nights spent with each other as company. Days passed by as though they were coated in a thick syrup, warm evenings that ended in them collapsing onto any comfortable surface and drifting into a steady slumber. </p>
<p>Just as the sleepovers weren’t uncommon, neither were the nights where he would wake up in the dead of night and find himself in a silent house.</p>
<p>Sometimes, he would take a minute to observe Sapnap as he slept. </p>
<p>It was reassuring. </p>
<p>He wasn’t smiling, he wasn’t rolling his eyes or scrunching his face. He looked at peace. Calm.</p>
<p>Dream loved every expression Sapnap pulled, but his resting face held a special place in his heart. (smiling was still his favorite though. you didn’t hear it from him.)</p>
<p>A loud snore from Karl broke the delicate atmosphere the silence had woven together.</p>
<p>Dream snatched the pillow and pressed his face against it in a hurried attempt to muffle any laughter that slipped through the gaps of his teeth. “Way to ruin the mood,” he mumbled between giggles against the ruffled fabric.</p>
<p>A loud hum reached his ears through the laughter. The pillow dropped out of his hands, swiftly falling into his lap and atop of the blanket that was half way on the floor. When his eyes drifted to the source, he found Sapnap shifting into a sitting position. </p>
<p>The boy brought his hands up to his face, dragged them downwards then back up before stopping at his eyes and rubbing. </p>
<p>As Sapnap removed his hands from his face, he scanned the room until his gaze fell onto Dream.</p>
<p>“Dream?” </p>
<p>He suppressed a shudder at the rough quality of Sapnaps voice. The dark haired boy was absolutely enthralling without any effort. </p>
<p>“Sapnap,” he murmured back. </p>
<p>It was quiet for a moment after. Then, in the next breath, Sapnap dragged his blanket off of himself and walked over to Dream. His steps were almost silent against the hardwood floor of the living room. </p>
<p>Dream shuffled to the side until the outer part of his thigh made contact with the armrest of the couch. Just in time, too. Sapnap sat close. Close enough that he was warmed and could revel at the pressure of limbs against his.</p>
<p>Sapnap leaned into Dream as he opened his mouth to speak. “Couldn't sleep?” </p>
<p>“Not exactly,” Dream crossed his ankles and pressed them against the couch, “I woke up a few minutes ago.”</p>
<p>“We really are the same person.” Sapnap turned his face toward Dream and gave him the dopiest smile he had ever seen the other wear. His eyes were just barely open and he tilted his head as though he could only just manage to hold it up.</p>
<p>Dream’s heart throbbed meekly. </p>
<p>“You’re tired.” It wasn’t a question, but Sapnap hummed in agreement anyway. “Go back to sleep, Sapnap.”</p>
<p>The boy pouted. Pouted. Dream doubted his heart could take much more. </p>
<p>“But I know you’re gonna stay up now and I'd feel bad leaving you alone.”</p>
<p>Dream leaned against the other. “It’s okay, I want you to sleep. You'd probably pass out in a few minutes anyways.”</p>
<p>He giggled. “I don’t wanna get up Dreamie.”</p>
<p>“Then stay, Sappy.”</p>
<p>“Forever?”</p>
<p>“For as long as you want.” A pause. “Now go to sleep. I’ll take your spot on the recliner so you don’t have to move.”</p>
<p>“You’re an angel! Love you, Dream.”</p>
<p>“Love you too, Sapnap.”</p>
<p>“Goodnight, Dream.”</p>
<p>A laugh. “Goodnight, Sapnap.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hope that was enjoyable! next chapter should be out in a week or so :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>dream and sapnap, sapnap and dream</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sometimes Dreams thoughts became too much for him to keep at bay. All the small things he pushed away for the sake of his own sanity, for the sake of his grasp on control, sometimes became too much to ignore.</p>
<p>It was one of those times.</p>
<p>A restless day led to a restless night. His brain had been scattered the entire time, focus jumped from thought to thought with nothing to connect them. Until it was dark and he was alone, that is.</p>
<p>That restless energy morphed into something else, became a desperate need that pulled at everything in him.</p>
<p>All he wanted, all his heart called for and brain irrationally demanded was Sapnap.</p>
<p>
  <em>Sapnapsapnapsapnapsapnap.</em>
</p>
<p>Dream couldn't contain the thoughts even if he tried. And try he did. But in the end, the warmth spreading along his skin and curling in his gut couldn’t be ignored.</p>
<p>So he let his thoughts wander and his imagination run rampant.</p>
<p>In his mind was a clear picture. Dark hair framed a familiar face. A tongue poked out to wet a set of pink lips.</p>
<p>His breath stuttered at the mental image. Sapnap looked at him. Really, truly looked at him. His green eyes were imploring as they flicked down to Dreams lips, traced the curve of his jaw and took him in.</p>
<p>Sapnaps breath was hot against his face. It ignited something warm, something that gradually began to burn, and then a hand smaller than Dreams' own reached out and cupped his jaw.</p>
<p>A thumb rubbed the smooth skin beneath his ear. Small circles until Dreams entire body untensed and his muscles sang in quiet awe. The light touch moved down his neck until fingertips brushed against his collarbones. The finger traced the width of his semi prominent collarbones, a trail of heat left in the wake of the touch.</p>
<p>The hand by his neck gripped his shoulder tightly. It shook slightly for reasons Dream wasn’t quite aware of. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was a desperate attempt at restraint. He couldn’t be sure even if it was his own scenario.</p>
<p>Sapnaps other hand cupped his cheek. The hand was cold, a stark contrast from the warm flush of his face that was slowly spreading down his neck.</p>
<p>Fingers slid along his cheekbone before they pulled away. Dream almost let out a noise of protest but the hand made contact again before the sound could push out of his chest. He swallowed.</p>
<p>Sapnap cupped the underside of his jaw, thumb pressed against his chin while the rest settled on the skin of his neck. The thumb swiped up to his lip and applied the slightest bit of pressure.</p>
<p>His lips parted. The thumb slid along the length of his lip before it dragged downwards, the lip following the motion slightly before it bounced back to its regular position.</p>
<p>“I’m gonna kiss you now,” Sapnap said. His voice was different than usual. If Dream needed to draw a compairon, the closest he could think of was the tone Sapnap took after waking up. It was deeper and rougher than the usual, never failing to make something in Dream stir.</p>
<p>He felt like he was on fire as Sapnap paused. His limbs burned and he felt moldable as breath hit his lips. “Then do it.”</p>
<p>Their lips connected. The pace set started calm, with almost lazy movements as they found a rhythm that worked for them. From that point on, it picked up and turned more desperate and eager. Lips pressed harder and hands roamed everywhere they could, from shoulders to hips to chests.</p>
<p>Dream tore himself out of the scene almost desperately. How was it possible to be so touch starved when the two engaged in physical contact all the time?</p>
<p>He pressed his palms against his eyes and let out a shaky breath. He wanted Sapnap. More than anything he ever wanted before. All of his brain urged him to go grab the other and refuse to let go, sink his fingers into the soft skin of the others thighs and taste his smile.</p>
<p>Dream was a mess. Undoubtedly. But being aware of that didn’t change a thing. He still slipped back into that scene with rosy skin and baited breath.<br/>
—————————————————————</p>
<p>He tried to ignore the fact that he couldn’t quite meet Sapnaps eyes the next morning.</p>
<p>The shorter boy would tilt his head and blink at Dream in a silent plea for attention but Dream would just make eye contact for a second, remember the heavy gaze in his imagination, and look away before he turned red.</p>
<p>Luckily they had school, so Sapnap couldn’t quite ask about it. It was easier to hide that he was deliberately avoiding eye contact.</p>
<p>In an attempt to chase away the boredom that automatically set in as his teacher spoke, he scrolled through his camera roll. There had been a specific image he wanted to find, but the thousands of pictures were hard to sift through. He scrolled with one hand and propped up his head with the other, placing his chin into his extended palm.</p>
<p>There were multiple sections of Karl. The boy had a tendency to grab his phone whenever it was close enough and take around 20 photos before he felt satiated enough to relinquish control of the phone. There were many photos of George he had snuck when the other wasn’t looking, then there were various terrible images of Quackity. Dream’s favorites were the ones where Quackity stuffed his face and pulled an exaggerated expression. It was funny to use them against the other to watch him squirm.</p>
<p>His camera roll was littered with pictures and videos of Sapnap. The contents varied. Videos of him playing with cats, pictures of him sitting across from Dream whenever they went to restaurants, of him doing something dumb like balancing as many marshmallows as he could on his head, him smiling, him, him, him and more him.</p>
<p>Dream’s thumb halted when a specific photo caught his eye. They had taken it about six months ago. A time when he believed his feelings for the other were completely platonic and he wasn’t really into guys.</p>
<p>The photo had been taken after hours of hanging out in public. They had gone to various locations ranging from a restaurant to some thrift store a few of their friends had babbled about. They wandered around the store in favor of truly looking for clothing. Dream had been laughing at something Sapnap said, some joke about a design on one of the shirts, when he spotted an older woman looking at them. The lady was a bold one. As she passed by them, she said, “You two are a lovely couple!”</p>
<p>She had walked off right after, leaving Dream and Sapnap to glance at each other and laugh.</p>
<p>It hadn’t been the first time someone had mistaken them as a couple. Strangers tended to have that impression - as well as Sapnaps mom at one point - but the two always brushed them off with some statement about being best friends.</p>
<p>He had only recently figured out that people thought they were dating because Dreams face gave away what he was feeling, even if he himself wasn’t aware he was feeling it. He was very obviously infatuated.</p>
<p>The Dream of the past didn’t know that however. So he and Sapnap would exchange an amused look and ignore it most of the time. But there was one time, after the older woman said what she did, they took photos mimicking poses that couples did.</p>
<p>It had been fun, to play into what other people saw and take photos. It had only happened that one time but the pictures were still tucked in Dreams camera roll.</p>
<p>The specific one that had caught his attention was one of the prettier out of the bunch they had taken. It was simple, just them holding hands. Dream’s right hand and Sapnaps left. They had tilted their hands so the back of Sapnaps faced the camera and Dreams fingers could be seen as they curled around his hand and settled under his knuckles. Their skin was tinted a warm gold that reminded him of Sapnap due to the rays of the setting sun that flooded the room.</p>
<p>The photo wasn’t interesting and neither was the story behind it. It was normal. A normal moment captured between two best friends who meant the world to each other. But he supposed there was something comforting about the normalcy. Intimacy in their everyday.</p>
<p>His fingers felt fuzzy as they held the phone. Shivers flared through his hand as he forced his thumb to continue scrolling until he finally spotted what he had been looking for. Though he was definitely distracted after the reminder of past photos and memories.</p>
<p>At least he wasn’t bored?</p>
<p>—————————————————————</p>
<p>Dream’s mouth was numb. It tingled as the cold ice rubbed against the inside of his cheek. Slowly, the ice melted until a small pool of water added to the numbing chill and it hurt to keep the ice to that side of his mouth.</p>
<p>He swished the ice cube to the other side before chomping down. The crunch was a satisfying thing that only got louder as his teeth sunk in and the ice cracked into small, insignificant pieces beneath the pressure.</p>
<p>Sapnap raised an eyebrow from his place opposite Dream. They sat facing each other on Dreams bed. Sapnap had claimed the pillows and headboard while Dream sat closer to the center with his back facing the edge of the mattress.</p>
<p>Dream pushed the piece of ice to the opening of his mouth. His lips held it there and prevented it from sliding backward or forward as he showed Sapnap one of the larger pieces. They tingled at the ice's touch and it didn’t take long for Dreams hold on it to cease and for the ice to hit the bed. Sapnap let out a hysterical laugh as Dream snatched it a beat later, water already on his blanket and hair on the ice.</p>
<p>His nose scrunched as he eyed the small piece of ice that now had a layer of cat hair on one side. Dream tossed it into his trash bin from his spot on the bed. It made a splat as it hit the other garbage sitting in a pile at the bottom but he ignored it in favor of wiping his hand on his shorts.</p>
<p>Sapnaps eyes followed the movement before he let out a small “mm!” and rolled off the bed, the pillows falling off of him and onto the mattress.</p>
<p>Dream let his head tilt to the side as though he was a confused puppy waiting for answers to unasked questions. The action wasn't seen, however, and Sapnap squatted down next to his dirty backpack. He scrounged through it until the movement of his hand stopped and he straightened up. In his grasp was an unopened package of markers. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, and silver markers that rattled as Sapnap walked over to Dreams' side.</p>
<p>He bumped his shoulder against the blonds. A reassurance, as it always had been. When they were younger, Sapnap was almost cripplingly shy around new people. To help calm his nerves, Dream used to bump their shoulders together and offer a lopsided grin when Sapnap nervously glanced over. So, the movement wasn’t new. Instead, it was familiar and something akin to a promise.</p>
<p>“Were those in your bag the entire time?”</p>
<p>The dark haired boy wiggled his sculpted eyebrows at a bemused Dream and sat in his original position. Eager fingers tore into the cardboard and ripped at it until the markers tumbled onto the ruffled blanket. Sapnap grabbed the green one in a quick motion and tugged the cap off, letting it drop onto the pile as he made grabby hands at Dream.</p>
<p>Dream shuffled forward cautiously, inch by inch until his knees touched Sapnaps and the shorter could grab his arm.</p>
<p>Sapnaps hands were warm against Dreams' skin. Goosebumps flared at both the sudden contact and sudden warmth that seeped into his arm. Sapnap took the marker in his right hand and held onto Dreams wrist with the other.</p>
<p>Dream let his hand go limp as the marker touched his slightly tanned skin and rubbed lines of bright green wherever it touched. It tickled slightly as the damp marker bled ink onto him in a light touch. Sapnap didn’t press hard. On the contrary. The younger would adjust his grip every time the marker pressed too harshly against Dream, slide his fingers until he could hold onto the pen loosely. Everytime he did it, Dreams chest burst with a fondness that only Sapnap could create.</p>
<p>Green stars lined the inside of his arm. They were scattered along his vein, from the crook of his elbow to right above the wrist. Each was a little different. Some were small, some were large, some were neat and others were scribbles that could barely count as stars. A green sea just a shade or two different from the hoodie he wore regularly. Green that had the potential to hurt his eyes and promised to linger on his skin even if he scrubbed at it right then.</p>
<p>Sapnap turned his attention to a different section of skin. He pushed Dreams' already short sleeve over until the curve of his shoulder was revealed. The marker traced a few straight lines, maybe four, before it was retracted and Sapnap pulled his hand back to stare at the lines. Dream followed the others gaze. A line from one freckle to another and then another and then another in the shape of the little dipper.</p>
<p>Dream tilted his head towards Sapnap and a small smile pushed its way onto his face. “Constellations?”</p>
<p>Sapnap glanced his way. “You like them.” And then he turned his gaze back to the expanse of skin. His tongue poked out as he concentrated on drawing the constellations properly and Dream thought that he might be in love.</p>
<p>He was definitely, unapologetically, desperately in love.</p>
<p>And as soon as Sapnap finished a few other constellations, Dream grabbed the orange marker and tore the cap off. It replaced the green cap on the bed, which was swiftly put back on the marker. Dream guided Sapnaps arms away from the empty space between the two of them. With the limbs out of the way, he approached with the marker.</p>
<p>Dream placed his left hand right above Sapnaps knee, palm rested on the inner part of his thigh and fingers curled around his knee. He pressed the marker against the skin of Sapnaps exposed thigh until orange bled onto it. The marker danced over the skin, did loops and made crossed lines as Dream narrowed his focus onto the task at hand. He didn’t let his gaze rise to Sapnaps eyes, or his lips, or the rest of his legs, or the way his hands clutched the blanket. He knew if he let his attention drift he wouldn’t want to go back to drawing. He’d want more. And he couldn’t have more, not yet.</p>
<p>So he tried to ignore how soft the thigh was as he gripped it a little tighter and let his fingers dig in a little more.</p>
<p>Soon enough there was an array of fiery orange flowers littered on Sapnaps skin and Dream didn’t want to pull away from his position. But he did. (If his hand lingered a second or two longer than it should have, he wasn’t going to mention it.)</p>
<p>“There we go,” Dream capped the marker and leaned back, hands gripping the edge of his mattress with a distant disappointment at the fact it wasn’t as nice to touch as Sapnap.</p>
<p>“We look hot.”</p>
<p>Dream laughed. He extended his legs in the space next to Sapnap before he straightened and placed his arm into his lap. “We always look hot.”</p>
<p>Sapnap nudged Dreams' leg with his knee. “Specifically me.”</p>
<p>“Specifically you, you idiot. Shouldn’t be shocking anymore, you’ve always been pretty.”</p>
<p>Sapnap visibly softened at the gentle words. Compliments weren’t rare. The two were open with affection and painfully honest, but that didn’t make the compliments any less joy inducing. No matter how many times they were said, they always meant so much to Dream. He knew Sapnap shared the sentiment.</p>
<p>“You were cute when you had that long ass hair in middle school.”</p>
<p>Sapnap jabbed a pointer finger at Dream as soon as the words left his mouth. “We said we wouldn’t speak of that again. You had long hair too! We grew it out together!”</p>
<p>“You’re the one who’s sensitive about it.”</p>
<p>Sapnap crossed his arms over his chest and kicked at Dream. “Well I don’t like thinking about the pain of cutting it off when that one kid smeared gum on it.”</p>
<p>“Ah,” Dream winced, “You were so upset about that. I believe that was the day you vowed to never grow it long again just to prevent that from happening again.”</p>
<p>The flower-covered boy nodded, lips pursed and hand caressing his hair. He looked at Dream and smiled. “And then you cut yours at the same time as I cut mine. ‘An act of solidarity,’ you said.”</p>
<p>“Well you were sad about it. We grew it out together might as well cut it together, you know?”</p>
<p>“Yeah but you liked that length! And you just cut it off for me! I was so shocked, dude.”</p>
<p>Dream rubbed his collarbone, fingers to palm and then back. “Well I would’ve done anything for you. Still would, actually.” He made eye contact with his best friend. “You mean the world to me Sapnap. Always have and always will.”</p>
<p>Sapnaps stared at Dream. His green eyes were wide and his lips were just slightly parted. Awe painted itself in bright colors, in eye catching greens and dazzling oranges, all over his face and eyes.</p>
<p>“You know,” the words came out just barely above a whisper. “I’ve just realized two things.”</p>
<p>Dream lips quirked into a smile. “Enlighten me.”</p>
<p>“One,” he licked his lips, “you’re in love with me.”</p>
<p>The smile dropped from Dreams face quickly. “I-uh. I’m in love with-?”</p>
<p>He couldn’t finish the sentence.</p>
<p>But Sapnap nodded anyway, eyes still wide and lips still parted. “You’re in love with me. You have been for a while, haven’t you?”</p>
<p>A pause. “I have. For a very long time, I think.”</p>
<p>Dream smiled again. It was small, it was resigned to whatever happened next, and it was fond. “No use denying it when you’ve finally figured it out, huh?”</p>
<p>“I've actually realized three things. New number two. Everyone else knew how you felt before I did.”</p>
<p>It wasn’t a question but Dream nodded and laughed quietly. “You don’t even know how much teasing I had to endure from our friends. And my sister. And my mom.”</p>
<p>“You’re family knew?”</p>
<p>“I think my mom was the first to figure it out. As in, even before me.”</p>
<p>“Oh.”</p>
<p>A smile. “Oh.”</p>
<p>“All of George's cryptic statements finally make sense. He always looked at me like he knew something I didn’t, the jerk.”</p>
<p>Dream’s heart hammered in his chest and for a second he worried Sapnap would be able to hear it somehow. His heart felt like it was about to burst, but he had to know.</p>
<p>“What’s your last realization?”</p>
<p>“Oh!” Sapnaps eyes widened and whipped his head to face Dream. He smiled, wide and fond and openly affectionate and so, so beautiful. “I love you too!”</p>
<p>Dream blinked. Then blinked again. His mouth dried, his heart somehow picked up the pace and his stomach felt like it was doing gymnastics. “You, uh. You should’ve led with that.”</p>
<p>Sapnaps grin turned a tint sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “Yeah probably.”</p>
<p>“And you call me an idiot.”</p>
<p>“You’re still an idiot, I think you’re just rubbing off on me.”</p>
<p>Dream leaned forward tentatively, shuffled towards Sapnap until he was in reach. “It’s usually not socially acceptable to say ‘I love you’ before the first date, you know. Usually it isn’t used in confessions.”</p>
<p>Sapnap clapped his hands together. “We never half ass things. All the way, baby!” His smile turned coy and overly sweet. “Is this your way of asking me out on a date?”</p>
<p>“If you want to.”</p>
<p>“Ask me. We need a concrete answer of who asked the other out. Plus, I think it’ll sound nice coming out of your mouth.”</p>
<p>Dream leaned towards Sapnap and made direct eye contact. “Will you, my dearest sapnap, go on a date with me?”</p>
<p>“Why of course, love.”</p>
<p>“There it is again. The ‘L’ word.”</p>
<p>Sapnap shrugged. “It’s always been there, now it just means something a little different to both of us.”</p>
<p>“When did you get smart?”</p>
<p>“Don’t get sassy with me. It’s not too late to cancel that date.”</p>
<p>Dream gasped, hand clutching at the shirt over his heart. “Rejection? How can I continue? Utter heartbreak!”</p>
<p>Sapnap giggled and grabbed the hand clutching at his shirt. He forced the grip to loosen before lacing their fingers together and shaking the hand. “Fine, I'll take pity on you. One date and we can go from there.”</p>
<p>“You’ll be begging for another date before the first even ends. You love spending time with me.”</p>
<p>“You’re lucky I do. Idiot.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>and that’s that! hope that was a decent enough ending :)</p>
<p>comments are appreciated and serve as motivation lol</p>
<p>heads up, i’ll be posting something new in like the next two weeks so look out for that hehe ;)</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>guys I can only write pining dream and I can’t even do it well smh</p><p>anyways its bloomingbbs on twt as well if you want to talk or see me tweet about mcyt :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>